After reviewing the two tickets running for Saint Mary's student body president and vice president, The Observer Editorial Board endorses junior Meg Griffin and sophomore Emily Skirtich.
Although juniors Rachael Chesley and Laura Smith have strong ideas, Griffin and Skirtich's experience cannot be ignored and it's this qualification that makes them the best candidates.
Griffin, as the current student body vice president, and Skirtich, as the Student Government Association (SGA) executive secretary, will make the transition in April much smoother since they already have an extensive knowledge of SGA.
Their major platforms — creating more all-campus events and incorporating campus clubs with a new handbook and officer meetings — are initiatives that are plausible and will help to bridge the gap between student government and the students it represents.
While Chesley and Smith also had innovative ideas to incorporate clubs on campus, these were much less concrete.
Griffin and Skirtich also have the advantage of being able to continue with initiatives begun by Jenny Hoffman, current student body president, and Griffin, including adding a Saint Mary's heritage class to the curriculum. This would further their push for familiarizing students with the history of the College, something Hoffman and Griffin concentrated on this year.
That being said, there are some ideas Chesley and Smith offer that Griffin and Skirtich can learn from. Their ideas about alumnae networking on campus and having SGA members actually attend club meetings would help connect students not only to each other, but the outside community.
Griffin and Skirtich don't focus on alumnae relations or helping to bring donors to campus, and these are important issues that former administrations have neglected to address. If implemented, these ideas would be valued additions to student life.
In the end, the largest separation between the tickets is experience, which gives Griffin and Skirtich the advantage. Since time in office is short-lived for student officials, making the most of that time is crucial. Griffin and Skirtich will be able to get to work quickly and start on their initiatives with very little training — a valuable commodity in student government.
There are two strong tickets in this election, however, experience is too valuable to ignore and will allow the Griffin and Skirtich to pass their well-thought out initiatives with greater ease.
Griffin and Skirtich show all signs of being competent and efficient if they are voted into office, are and valued leaders of the Saint Mary's community.
